


Just Seen

by DreamFactory



Series: Virtual [2]
Category: Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (Video Game), The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Age of Calamity Spoilers, First things first. Revali friendship., Gender neutral pronouns for reader, Might be slow burn, Might have smut, Virtual World, gender neutral reader, set after age of calamity, virtual dating sim AU, we'll see
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:41:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 14,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27722959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreamFactory/pseuds/DreamFactory
Summary: They perfected virtual reality. There was a program that let you interact with about any character you wanted. But...something like that seemed addictive. You didn't want to use it too often. However...This was a once in a lifetime opportunity to see your hero.
Relationships: Revali (Legend of Zelda)/Reader, revali/reader
Series: Virtual [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1270898
Comments: 51
Kudos: 127





	1. Just to See

You just wanted to see him.

You would take a glimpse, say, 'Wow,' in amazement, and leave.

Satisfied.

That was the plan.

Except, THIS GARBAGE PROGRAM DECIDED TO SPAWN A CIVILIAN RIGHT NEXT TO A BOKOBLIN CAMP. Asinine, Revali would say. You were about to exit as you ran away, giving up if this was just going to be 'Bokoblins Chase You.'

_Flurry_

You fell over into the snow, sudden gusting knocking you off balance. _Thwack, thwack, thwack, BANG, BANG, BANG, dead bokoblin, dead bokoblin, dead bokoblin_. That's what you heard, staying down in the snow to avoid the wind and explosions. It was silent after, and you had to give your brain a moment to catch up.

"Well, if you're not dead, why don't you stand up?"

_His voice_.

Your body turned and rose into sitting on its own, _just to see him-_

Revali.

His theme danced around in your head, as he stood before you, tall and proud as he always was. One hand casually still held his bow, the other rested on his hip, and he looked down at you, expecting a response.

You had no response. You were too busy caught up in his green eyes staring at you, in the fact that _he existed_. _Right in front of you_.

His head tilted, eyes squinting at you a moment, frown present.

"They didn't hit you on the head, did they?"

Right, you were staring at him like a gaping fish. You slapped your trap shut, tried to get your voice to work.

"I-I'm fine," you croaked.

"Good, the nearest stable is that way," he succinctly informed you, gesturing the direction with his magnificent wing. He turned, walked forward, then looked back with just his head. "Why don't you get some sense and get a weapon while you're there? You should know better than to come out this far without one."

Then he took off, a quick jump, flap of the wings, and with the power of the wind, he was gone.

...

You were in shock. You didn't mean for this to happen. You just wanted to tour Rito Village until maybe you saw him. That was it. That was all. _Now..._ He'd talked to you. It was magical.

You needed to leave. If not, you would just try to see him again.

You left, a bit panicked that you might not be able to control yourself from coming back now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's not enough Revali/Reader content.
> 
> Fine.
> 
> I'll do it myself.
> 
> So Age of Calamity reawakened my Revali hyperfixation HARD. REAL HARD. So here we are. This is just an intro to get things going. I'm excited.


	2. Back Again

It was a bad day.

That was your excuse. You just needed a little pick-me-up. This time, you _would_ just see him. You managed to spawn in front of Rito Village by thinking about it hard as you went in. You thought about it really hard. You didn't want any repeats. Now, you walked the grand steps in wonder. Just seeing the place was amazing enough. Had you not already been in winter garb, you _definitely_ would have bought the Rito set. You eyed it anyway.

It occurred to you, after hours of wondering... _where exactly did Revali hang out?_ The flight range, you figured. Around, in the air, you figured. Rito Village, you figured. ...Off on missions or with the other champions, you figured. ...You were never going to find him. It was a miracle you saw him the first time.

You watched the snowy scenery for a while. This high up, it was nice. ...The only consolation prize you were getting. ...You shouldn't have come here. You leaned on the railing, resting your head against your hand. The sun was setting by now. As pretty as it was, you debated leaving, depressed you had been silly enough to think you would see someone as busy as _Revali_.

"We're glad he's back, the range just wasn't the same without him."

Passing conversation.

"After _defeating Calamity Ganon_ , you'd think he'd take a break. _Not Revali_."

What now? You tuned in, casually turning and following the ones talking.

"I can't wait for the celebration! Imagine, a party with _The Champion Revali_."

His friend shoved him in jest.

"It's still Revali, you know how he is. We've known him forever."

Celebration. Champion Revali. Calamity defeat. You were starting to understand where you were at on the timeline. You stopped, letting their conversation trail away, thinking. So this was _just after_. And Revali _was_ here. ...You were starting to feel weird, being so desperate to see the guy. ...But this was just a simulation, and you just wanted to see your favorite character...it was okay. ...Right?

"Imagine my surprise."

You jolted, every fiber in your being shocking alive. You turned.

Revali.

Oh god, there he was, looking at you again, in that way he does, he's so cool-

"You made it all the way here _still_ without a weapon. Are you just that lucky, or just that dumb?"

You gaped at him again. He leaned over, more to your level, eyes critical.

"With reflexes like that, I don't think it's the former."

He was roasting you. What great day was this, that your king would talk to you so blessedly? You snapped your trap shut again, at least tried to come up with a response.

"Do you talk down to all travelers like that?" You asked, because you were genuinely curious. It was usually Link he was iffed and irked by.

"It's not often I see one dumb enough not to bring _any_ protection. Or at least a horse to run away on."

What, he was bothered you were going to 'die by stupid'?

"I could have a horse..." You lamely supplied. ...You didn't have one.

"You don't. I would have seen it. And you _certainly_ didn't stop to think about getting one, much less backtracking for one if you're already here. ...Why go all the way out there, just to come back around to here?" His voice and face filled with suspicion and curiosity.

Oh. That was it. His big, smart brain wondered why the heck little old you went to nowhere with nothing, and then seemingly booked it to here. That's what was happening. It would seem that way to him, since you didn't know where you were originally, and then you spawned here.

"I...wanted to get good views of the snow." You had to come up with _something_. Couldn't very well say, 'Actually, this is just a video game and I teleported, oops.'

He looked down at you with suspicion.

_"Really?_ "

It was clear he didn't believe you. But that also begged the question...

"What on earth do you think I was doing then?"

He didn't respond for a second. Then squinted his eyes at you as he walked around you, in a way that probably meant 'I'm keeping my eyes on you,' but looked intimidating coming from his face. Maybe it was the seriousness with which he did it.

"Unbelievable," he muttered as he walked away.

You watched him go, no idea what else to do. ...It was still fascinating to be _able_ to watch him. Oh, hey, you saw him. You did it. ...And you shouldn't come back, because you clearly got off on the wrong foot here. No, wait, you shouldn't come back because you didn't want to get used to this.

This world was too beautiful to then go back to yours. ...You gazed at it one more time, sorrowful. You closed your eyes in a final goodbye and left, filled with grief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just getting started. I LOVE ME SOME REVALI.


	3. Flight Range

It was a bad day. (Yet again.)

...You had a problem. But so help you, you just wanted to see something that wasn't-...

You had let some time pass in-game, before spawning in at a stable. No more 'teleportation' shenanigans for you, you had proper 'travel time' logged now. Even if you did technically teleport. Your plan was to get a horse. And a spear. Let's see Revali be irked at you then, ha. Plus, if you were going to be here a while, it was just a good idea to have those things. He _was_ right, given how this world was. ...You weren't going to be here a while. Stop it.

You got all the things, including a map, because you wanted to horse ride to the flight range. Even if you didn't see Revali again, you wanted to at least watch something cool. ...You tried to remember how Link rode a horse, and it took trial and (sometimes worrying) error, but you figured it out. The game probably made it easier for you. You were really nice to the horse. It was majestic, and you would rather have been friends with it than not. Especially if you were going to be together a while- No.

It was dark by the time you made it to the range, and you didn't know if anyone would be there now. You clambered off Steed, walking toward the elevated platform. ...It was pretty quiet, you didn't think anyone was here- BANG. You jumped. Then fell to the snow to crawl and look over the edge of the cliff, someone was here! You wanted to see, not worried about falling, since you could exit at any time.

_Swoosh_ , a dark form shot up into your vision, and it held in place in the air a moment, letting loose many arrows that all hit their targets. _Thunkthunkthunkthunk._ You recognized the silhouette in the moonlight instantly.

It was him.

Maybe this time you really could _just_ watch- he swooshed back down, and your eyes struggled to track in the lower lighting with how fast he was. You made out some impressive turns and dodges, he would flip all around in the air _while_ shooting and hitting the targets. He dipped so low you couldn't see, re-emerging only seconds later in a grand sweeping windstorm that shot him up above the whole range. He let many arrows loose into the air, letting them rain down all over the targets.

For a moment, you worried you might be struck, but thankfully they all landed well within the range. Of course. Masterfully. It was _Revali_. He flipped around in the air, landed back down on the platform. From what you could tell, he was studying his work- interesting. His head was in your direction now. You wondered- OH. You scrambled up, walking backwards to your horse, but it was too late. Here he came.

Swooshed over to you gracefully in under a few seconds.

" _You again?_ " He sounded legitimately surprised, and irritated. His gaze quickly swept over the spear on your back, the horse in the background. "At least you finally got some sense." He moved on swiftly. "Why are you _here?_ Come to 'see the snow,' again?"

...You didn't know what was up with your luck, but somehow you were talking to him _again_. ...You were just going to be honest.

"Honestly, I...heard this was here, and I wanted to see something cool."

Understanding dawned on his face, a twinkle entered his eye.

" _Ooh, I see_. If you wanted to see the Rito hero, you might as well come out and say it. _I know_ ," he said in an exasperated way, turning to the side and walking, gesturing with his wing, "I defeated the Great Calamity. It's only natural you would flock to see my superior skills."

There it was. The majestic boastfulness of your king. And he could back it up. ...Well, mostly, technically he-

"I hope you learned something," he went on, turning to face you again, leaning to be more on your eye contact level. "With the way you run around, you could certainly use it." It felt like he was an old teacher who meant well, but worded things harshly. His gaze once again traveled to your horse. "Maybe you're not entirely hopeless..." He said it quietly, maybe to himself. "Then again," _of course, he wasn't done_ , "you _were_ just teetering off the side of a cliff."

He stood back to full height, seeming satisfied he had justified his critical view of you.

" _No_ self-preservation instinct," he observed harshly, shaking his head and holding up his hands in a shoulder-less shrug as he walked past you. Like you were a hopeless disappointment he had given up on. The feeling that gave you bothered you so badly it caused you to speak, before anything else could even happen.

" _I'm...!_ I'm trying to learn! That's why I'm here!"

You weren't sure what caused those exact words, but they came out. And they felt desperately honest about something beneath the surface you didn't think about.

He stopped. Turned his head back to appraise you with one eye, nothing but cold calculation.

"The _hylian_ wants to _learn_." There was a chilling sarcasm in his voice now. It made you uncomfortable, made you regret ever speaking. You just pissed him off somehow.

You stared at the ground in regret, not able to look at him when he looked like that. It was dreadfully silent as you wrung your hands in nervousness over what to do.

"Huh," he made a deep, thoughtful noise in the back of his throat. "Then pay attention. Training is here tomorrow just after sunrise. If you watch, maybe even you'll figure out something."

With that, he walked away. You looked up to see him go, surprised and confused. A few steps after, he took to the air and flew away, not able to be bothered to stay in your presence anymore.

...

You stared at the tree you lost sight of him at. Baffled. What...? ...

Oh no. ...You were going to set the game clock to sunrise, and park yourself down and wait. You were here. You couldn't help yourself.

...This was a problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Revali be a complicated one. Then again, in my mind, all characters have layers and complexity, so... Anyway, thank you so much to everyone for the support on this. I really didn't think my tiny start of a Revali/Reader thing would get that much traction, so... Thanks for reading!


	4. Training

You set the clock. Then sat in the snow, setting the spear beside you because it got in the way of sitting (annoying). You considered a one-handed weapon because of that as you waited. Then realized it would look suspicious and weird if you were still in the _exact_ same spot. Moved forward a few strides. Sat down again.

Soon, someone arrived and landed at the flight range platform. It certainly wasn't Revali, they weren't blue in the slightest. They looked around, checked up on things. Then came over to you with a curious look on their face, noticing you sitting in the path.

"Are you here for training?" They asked.

Training? _You?_

"Uh...I...wanted to, just, watch, actually. Is that okay? Sorry, I can leave if that's weird."

They let out a hearty laugh. "Not at all. Feel free to watch, though I have to ask you to stay at a safe distance. Why don't you come on up? Safest to watch from there." They started walking back, and you guessed they expected you to follow, so you did. "Ever change your mind, I offer training for a fee." They cheekily added as you walked.

"Uh, I'll keep that in mind, thank you," you politely responded.

"Ha! No problem."

This one seemed rather jovial and easy going. Up on the platform, you sat in a corner for the time being, not sure what else to do. The...training instructor? flew down to check on the targets. As they were gone, _guess who flew right in_. He saw you with the side of his vision, turning his head toward you, body following as he assumed a tall, wings clasped behind his back position.

"Well. Look who actually showed up. Be sure to pay attention."

And that was that, as he went the same way the instructor did. You replayed the brief encounter in your mind, relishing how cool he looked. So confident and collected. Even from the low view point where you sat, him looking down at you, he was a vision. The early morning light behind him just made it better. You shook your head lightly, half chastisement at yourself for thinking that way, half to come to your senses.

The instructor came back up first, and then students started arriving. Some spared you a look, but none really tried to talk to you, for which you were grateful. Maybe it wasn't that odd for spectators to come by occasionally. The instructor didn't call you out, so maybe it really was normal. Once six students had shown up, they gathered before the teacher, who stood out on the platform to start the training session. You wondered if Revali had dipped out-

_Swoosh._ A gust blew into the room, as something darted up in front of the landing. The students clamored excitedly, and you went to somewhere you could see better. _Flap_ , Revali practically floated down gently next to the teacher. They gave him a look, as if they were quite used to his antics, but not in a bad way.

"Well, well. For those of you who decided _not_ to slack off," how many were _supposed_ to be here? "... _congratulations_. You get to watch a master at work. _Try_ to pick up on something, won't you?" He turned and walked to the edge, looking back over his shoulder. "You might never be on my level, but you can at least be _competent_."

Then he dived off, and everyone rushed past the teacher to follow him, leaving them to sigh with a face palm. You tried to see everything you could, moving nearby the edge to look down. Revali did his standard, impressive fare, and the others tried really hard to copy what he was doing. _Tried_. Some flew rather well, and did good work, but there were just certain moves too complex for them to replicate perfectly. But they didn't give up. It was actually inspiring to see. The way they were all working off of each other, they way Revali was actually showing them things.

The instructor stood next to you, watching as well, probably keeping track of individual's progress...or just as awed by Revali and the whole thing as you were. You didn't look at them fully to see, _Revali did a wide flip while hitting targets_. ...This was really cool. You felt grateful you ever got to see something like this in your life.

"It's not usually like this," Teacher started casual conversation as the training went on. "You've probably heard of him, but that's Revali. Our Champion." They said it like a proud parent. "Sometimes he comes by and _hijacks my training sessions_ ," they said it in good-natured jest. "It keeps everyone motivated, so I certainly can't complain. I could stand to learn a thing or two from him myself."

You ripped your eyes from the action a moment to look at them, interested in what they were saying. It was interesting to hear new things about Revali. And...was this your chance? You got up the nerve to ask, because it was about _Revali_.

"How..." You tried to start in, and Instructor looked over to you from where they had also been watching the action. Now was maybe your only chance to learn something about Revali. "How long...did it take him to learn all that?"

They looked surprised, then let out another hearty laugh.

"Oh, that one's been training for about as long as I can remember. Almost his entire life. He's always taken it so seriously, and it paid off." Once again, they seemed proud of him, looking back down with a fond expression.

You followed suit, taking that in, fully getting lost in all the amazing movement again. You mostly watched Revali, but you spared time for others as well, generally fascinated by what everyone could do. It wasn't long until people started coming back up and landing, taking a break inside. When it was just Revali and another, they seemed to get into a stamina competition, staring at each other every now and then as if daring the other to back down. You thought you saw them talk sometimes, but you couldn't clearly make out anything said from here.

Revali won.

Of course.

The competitor caught their breath after landing, and Revali landed soon after, unfazed. You tried not to let the proximity of him landing right next to you (and Teacher) get to you. ...But he was so cool, and you got to see so up close you felt the wind from him landing, and-

"An expected outcome. I don't know why you thought you could beat _me_ , but perhaps you could hold your own against the others." He...half-complimented?

His, rival? glared at him through their panting.

"One day...I'll keep up with you," they swore.

Revali just got an amused smile.

"That will never happen...but feel free to keep trying," he bantered/encouraged? back.

You felt _bizarre_ , being a spectator of such otherworldly goings-ons like it was...normal. It _was_ normal, all this, for them. Which was what made it feel odd for you. This world wasn't normal in the least compared to the one you were stuck in.

They just shook their head at him with closed eyes, going to sit down, as Teacher took up their role once more.

"Alright everyone, I trust you had an exciting and _educational_ ," they emphasized, because they were a teacher, "day with Revali. Remember to practice and come back for the next session."

All very normal. ...'Normal.' The students lingered, staring at Revali a little more, like they couldn't believe they just trained with someone who took down a _Calamity_. Then they left. Rival walked out, still too exhausted to fly. You felt bad for, and also impressed by them, going up against _Revali_. Teacher, after sharing a brief look of acknowledgment with Revali, followed them, probably to check they were alright.

"And what did _you_ learn, _if anything?_ "

His attention was back on you, and yours back on him, and he stared you down, unimpressed. Hand on a hip.

You blinked. Gulped. Debated if being honest was okay. But what else could you possibly say?

"I learned...you guys all work together really well. It was cool how you all played off one another, and tried to learn from each other."

You learned...team spirit, essentially.

He raised an eyebrow, the rest of his face almost surprised, as if he was caught off guard, not expecting that answer at all. Then he blew out a half huff, half laugh, a 'feh' sounding thing.

"You are an odd one," he observed, but it didn't sound particularly mean. He walked to the exit ladder. "By the way..." He added before he left, looking at you over the shoulder. "The first thing you should learn, is _not to forget your weapon_."

Wha- You grasped for it on your back, but it wasn't there. You'd forgotten it in the snow.

He smirked at you smugly, eyes narrowing at you a second for emphasis, in what almost seemed like a playful manner. Then he flew away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> REVALI.
> 
> That's it, that's my comment.
> 
> Also, leaving the side characters blank, at least for now, so you can imagine them however is most comfortable or fun or natural for you. It's awesome to me, how differently people can imagine characters if left to their own interpretations, so I like to give people that option of seeing things however they want. Feel free to share your versions, if you have any. I personally imagine Teacher as a tall, muscular, pink feathered she/her. Maybe even a standard looking brown he/him Rito. Rival as they/them dark brown.


	5. Celebration and Daily Life

You panicked at how attractive he looked in that moment. You exited the program quickly, to try to get away from that feeling. It was one thing to see him on a screen, it was _another entirely_ to physically see him do something like that. Toward _you_.

It was several days before you went back. In that time, you tried to rip the man out of your head. You thought he was _cool_ , you weren't supposed to...actually find him attractive in a real life manner. That was a no-no. And yet... Going back in, you had convinced yourself that everything was fine, that was a fluke, you had it handled. You were also just normally, recreationally using the program. Yes. That's all this was. You were fine (you had a problem).

You went right back to the range, where and when you had been. Walked over to _pointedly_ pick up the spear. There. On your back. Not going anywhere. You wouldn't make _that_ mistake again. Going to your horse, giving them a friendly greeting, you wondered what you even wanted to do next. You had just come here to be... _not there_. ...Well, maybe, you _would_ take up archery. Just to pass some time.

You rode to Rito Village, asked passerby where you could buy a bow around here as you climbed the steps. They all pointed you to the same person. You even bought the entire set of Rito clothes and changed into them. You were going to stay _warm_ around here, if around here was where you were going to be. ...And you just wanted it.

You found Bow Guy with no problem, asked for the best one he had. You had rupees to spare, given how many you made sure you spawned with. He gave you your favorite type of standard Rito bow, and you were happy with it.

Now you stood watching the horizon again, spear _and_ bow _and_ arrows (you bought those too) on your back. You thought the game made them lighter, because surely it all would have been more burdensome otherwise. ...You had nothing else to do now. ...Except go try to figure out how a bow worked. You wondered if Teacher did that any old time, but you hadn't seen them around. Nor had you seen Revali, but that was fine, you didn't _need_ to see him, no, not at all... You technically already saw him 'today.'

Whatever. You were just going to go to a random forest spot, and try to... _bow_. However _bowing_ worked. And you did. Spent a good chunk of time out there, trying and failing. You decided to try tomorrow, with Teacher.

It was a 'new' 'day.' You 'slept' at the Rito inn. Now time to track down Teacher. You asked around again. You got as far as having Teach in your sights, when a _stupid_ idea hit your brain. ...But what if... _Revali_ showed you how to bow? ...No, no, no, that was ridiculous. Not like he would anyway. And he probably didn't have the patience to teach a complete newbie. That's what Teach was for.

...You looked around suspiciously, like the game was just going to spawn him in right next to you to fulfill your desires. But you saw no sign of him. ... _That was fine. You were fine_. _This was fine_. You weren't here for him. ...It was actually half true. You just wanted somewhere else to be. So enough of him, you were fulfilling your time here without him.

You _did_ go up to Teach, and you _did_ learn how to bow from them. They were good at teaching, fitting for their name. You stopped, half way through cocking your hopefully _second_ arrow that would ever get somewhat shot correctly. ...Their name wasn't Teacher. ...Might as well.

"What's your name?"

It got their attention off making sure you were doing stuff right. It looked like they didn't expect you to ask.

"...Wylee."

"Wylee." You repeated. It almost sounded like a word.

They nodded. "Now enough of that, you have a bow to shoot."

You did.

And you did.

...Barely. They asked you your name after that. You told them.

You spent the day after once again training with them. It was then you learned there was going to be a celebration, for Revali, and for general Calamity defeat. So no training then. You worked up the gall to ask if you could come. Because Revali was going to be there- you had a problem. Turns out, anyone who showed up was welcome, though it was generally a Rito party.

You went. To the party.

Little old hylian you, hanging out with a bunch of Ritos being happy Ritos. You almost felt like you were intruding. So you stuck next to what you designated your favorite Warbler rock. Yes, number /number/. It was also next to a food table. You nibbled, though it felt weird, eating in...' _here_.' You almost choked on your tiny bite. _He was here._

Revali swooped in, to the cheers of his people. He soaked it up, very proud, very happy. Then,

"Yes, yes, I know. I'm very great. Having defeated the _Calamity_." A few people 'Woo!'ed. "...But...I'm afraid even I couldn't have done it alone. I have my fellow Champions to thank. ...Among others," that part was quieter, you thought he almost seemed a touch wistful even- "So as much as you should thank me, you should also thank them." He semi-begrudgingly admitted. "With my help, Calamity Ganon's defeat was the only outcome!" And back to self-centric. He waved a wing outward in grand gesture and emphasis.

The crowd went _nuts_. You almost had to cover your ears. Everyone was just so _happy_ , and _relieved_ , that Calamity Ganon had been defeated. Finally.

...For you, it _truly_ felt like finally. You _knew_ the other timeline. It still _hurt_ to think about. For years, everyone's death was canon, period. That was it.

Not anymore.

People swarmed Revali, giving him congratulations, 'thank you's, just generally very positive vibes were thrown his way. He drank it all in, with his typical proudness, and he looked...truly happy. It made you smile. You wanted to tell him, too, how proud of him you were, but you would be trampled if you went over there now. ...And it wasn't your place. So you just watched him mingle with everyone.

Only for a bit, because otherwise that would be weird. You turned back to the table, like you could find something that wouldn't feel weird to eat 'here.' ...You gave up. Sighing, you thought maybe it was time to leave. You saw the festivities, the decorations, the food, the _happy_. It was nice. ...But you didn't know how to act at these things. ' _Parties._ ' You were happy to just observe, and leave. It was uncomfortable otherwise. You usually genuinely didn't want to talk to people.

So away you trotted, set on not intruding anymore. Little did you know, Revali watched you leave. Sparing you a single thought, before focusing back on everyone he knew.

The next day, Teach had to do flight range stuff. Teaching. Teach had to teach. ...Wylee. You weren't sure you wanted to watch this time, instead opting to practice by yourself in the woods. You needed some quiet time after all the partying. ...Ha. It was funny, because you didn't party. You ended up getting some decent shots in. 'Decent.' For your standards. Which were 'Complete Beginner.' ...You found you liked having your horse around.

* * *

_He hadn't planned on going to the flight range today._ No, he planned on soaring around the region to take out any remaining monsters, as he'd been doing. He wanted the place as peaceful as possible after everything that happened. The people deserved that. ... _He_ deserved that. And, it was something to do.

His change of plans occurred after once again seeing the strange traveler. They had a bow now. It was like they added something every time he saw them. And they stuck out among the all Rito party. It seemed they were sticking around, for the time being. He almost wondered if they were going to be at the flight lessons again.

...That almost wonder somehow turned into him making a detour to that very place. For some reason, out of all the travelers he'd seen, he was almost curious _why_ they were here. Something about them stood out, even if he couldn't put his finger on it. It was why he couldn't help chide them a bit more than he would other strangers. He was trying to get a read on them.

And they were genuinely foolish, from what he had seen. Though...they had enough of a brain to actually _take_ his advice. Which was good for them, because he knew what he was talking about. If they really were trying to learn, as they said, the best thing they could do was listen to him.

He arrived not long after Wylee, and they raised an eyebrow at him. The traveler wasn't there.

" _Again?_ You feeling rusty? I know you _only_ just took down the Calamity. Or are you here to show off?"

They knew which one it was, that was clear. They knew him too well.

"Don't worry, I'm not here to steal your limelight. I just wanted to check in. How's everyone doing?"

This wasn't the first time he'd done this, so Wylee responded as normal.

"Everyone is making progress, at their own pace. I'd say they're doing well."

"You always say that."

"Because it's true."

"...Good." He turned and walked to the side, uncomfortable with direct compliments, but he couldn't let good work go unpraised. "You're teaching them well."

"You do raise their spirits, you know. You're always welcome, even if I may jape at you."

"...What?"

He didn't remember them doing anything to such an extent as to warrant the apologetic tone.

"Oh, sorry, that's my students I joke about you to."

He exhaled a burst out of his nostrils, but he wasn't going to let his feathers get ruffled. The cheekiness of them... Despite himself, he couldn't help a fond smile.

"I certainly hope you don't spend all your time slacking off with jokes. It's a wonder they ever learn anything from you."

He didn't mean it, and they knew he didn't mean it. This was just how they were.

"Oh, don't worry, I make sure to show them some of your moves from time to time. Enhances their curriculum."

As if they could pull off _his_ moves. ...He wouldn't put _some_ past them, though he wouldn't tell _them_ that.

"I'm sure it would, if you could do them properly. You see why I need to come by from time to time."

"Are you _challenging_ me, Revali?"

He knew they were good for it. They were certainly challenging _him_ , with that tone and spark in their eyes. Alas, he had other things to do, or he would take up their offer in a heartbeat.

"I'm afraid I'm a busy bird, Wylee. As you know. Perhaps another day." _Definitely_ another day, but he wasn't going to show his excitement. "Oh, before I go," like he just remembered it, "who was that traveler the other day?"

They were mildly surprised by the topic shift. But went along with it just fine.

"/Name/? They're taking lessons. Why?"

_They were taking lessons, were they?_ It _did_ line up, explaining why they were here. They knew enough to learn archery from the best, and bothered to put in the travel time to do it. ...Were they just an incompetent level of lost when he first saw them? Either way, not that it mattered. He had other things to attend to.

"Just curious," he noncommittally answered. He poised to fly off to his business. "Teach them well, Wylee." He looked back to bid them farewell, good-natured in his tone.

"You know I will," they responded.

...He did. He flew off with a smile, knowing the students were in good hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've been SUPER immersed in Age of Calamity, to character study Revali, and really get a good read on him for this fic. He's actually very complicated, because half of his character is like: "I'm the greatest, you're not, I'm perfect and cannot fail," and then the other half is like: "I want to help as many people as possible and do good, and I pay genuine compliments to my companions."
> 
> So it's like... o_o hard to strike the right balance between the two. And then there's also the part where he's just a dick sometimes, doesn't like to admit to liking things in strong terms, BUT THEN IS SUPER NICE TO PEOPLE SOMETIMES. AND THANKS THEM. Like...he is an enigma, I'm trying to figure out. XD And of course, there's him acting like it's a bother for him to help (though it's obvious he's acting), but always helps anyway, and, boy, does bad guys doing bad things piss him off. ...Sorry, I've been in my character study hole too long. :p
> 
> Also, while I don't have the social energy to reply to every comment, I do appreciate all of them, so thank you. Again. Okay, I'm done.
> 
> (also also, I love Wylee and Wylee and Revali's relationship, oops, double oops, I might platonically ship them, oops)


	6. Snow

After practicing, you stood staring out at the trees and snow. Zoning out for a bit. Then you realized. For the first time. Staring out at all that space. ...You could go wherever you wanted. You weren't stuck around this area, just because you based the game off of Revali's character. ...What if you went to _Faron?_ ...What a crazy thought. You. Adventurous.

...But you wanted to see it. ...Except MONSTERS. That was a problem. You didn't trust yourself to be able to spear them all down, or outrun them all. You could just exit if things went wrong, but it would be awkward to keep teleporting- You could just teleport. ... _You could just teleport_. Geez. It took you that long to realize that. But you weren't used to this kind of game yet.

For now, you were just going to stick to the snow. You liked it. It was clean here. Nice. You sat down in it to take a break. No hypothermia to worry about here. You looked at your horse. ...They seemed fine. Mildly head bobbed at you. You tilted your head at them in return, acknowledging, but still not fully knowing how to act around them. ...At least they were easy to be around.

You flicked some snow, trying to figure out what you truly wanted to do now. ... Your posture straightened up. Eyes widening in realization. _You were looking at it_. ...You never got to make one before. ...This snow seemed perfect...

You jumped up, excited for something in a way you hadn't been for a long time. You rushed to Steed, getting on them and giving them positive affirmations before setting off further in a hurry. You went deeper, higher, looking for _lots of snow_. You wanted it to be perfect. Not that anything was, but close enough to it, at least. Finally, after some careful travel, you found a hill that evened out on top. Not too many trees, _lots of snow_. _Good snow_.

_..._ _Building snow._ You thanked your horse for getting you here, eagerly plopping down onto the soft, yet firm when pressed surface. It _was_ perfect. You wanted to do the thing freely, so you _temporarily_ and close by, left your gear by Steed. Then walked forward and... You fell over into it, laughing quietly and grinning like you hadn't in... You rolled over. You felt more free than you had in _years_. So you did it.

You made a snow angel.

You got up carefully, excitedly turned around to see your work. It was...fine. It looked like a totally normal snow angel. You were satisfied with that. You looked at the remaining expanse. ...Time to do more work. ...... _Fun_. This was _fun_ , you realized. Not work. You were just so used to that. ...So it was time to have some fun. You could do that safely in here.

So for once, you didn't regret giving in to what this world is. Not right now. You clambered through the snow over to a good spot. Set to work-... _happy building time_. You had half of your first piece done-

" _Oh_. _That's_ why you came out here."

You nearly jumped out of your skin. Forgetting your piece, you spun to see-

... _Him._ What was he doing here? You were baffled. And he was so quiet, or maybe you were too distracted, that you didn't hear him come by and land (presumably). You stared at him in utter confusion. He tilted his head to the side and back, his wings held behind him, giving you an appraising look.

"You always react like that. I suppose being in my presence isn't something one gets readily used to." What a cocky, vain... You loved it. "I suppose I'll get back to my patrol. _Some_ people want to play in the snow, and I have to make sure there isn't a Lynel around... _You're welcome_ , by the way."

Oh. He was on patrol. He was _leaving_ -

"Wait! Do you-"

Oh no, you spoke without thinking, so desperate to be his friend, god, what was wrong with you- ...He was looking at you, waiting for you to continue. In that way he did, where he was already half in 'take off' pose, looking back over his shoulder.

"Well? Out with it."

Now you had to say something. ...You had just liked his company, so you said something. ...Stupidly. To try to keep him around. You knew what you _wanted_ to say, but it would probably sound so stupid. But on the spot, you couldn't come up with anything else. Whatever. Who cares if he thinks you're stupid, or weird, this wasn't even real, it was fine. There weren't exactly high stakes here.

"Do you...want to build a snow thing? I was-" He was taken completely off guard, eyes widening in surprise, coming out of his position to turn back around and face you fully. You didn't even get to finish, taken off guard yourself by _his_ reaction.

"Are you asking _me_ , _the Rito Champion_ , to-" He gestured his wings about in front of himself semi-wildly, trying to replace whatever words he didn't have yet. " _To play in the snow?_ " Was what he'd been looking for.

He made it sound like a ridiculous thing, like how dare you ask? So you felt bad for asking.

"I'm sorry, it's just, you showed up, and I didn't have anyone to build with, and-" Words tumbled out your lips honestly, trying to fix this, like you could. But you didn't know what else to say. So you just shut up and stared down at the snow sadly and awkwardly. You clenched your own arm, kicking yourself. Stupid, of course, why would- You glanced back at his face just to confirm and self-punish yourself more, looking for his anger.

You got something entirely else. It was the type of face you'd only see briefly, if you were looking for it. In a few frames, in very few scenes. The one where he looked sympathetic, melancholy. Not-as-wide eyes, the downward frown of both his eyebrows and mouth. He gazed at you piercingly.

You were shocked. Dumbfounded. This wasn't what you were expecting at all. ...Your heart started beating out of your chest. You had _no idea_ now, what was going to happen next.

...He snapped to his senses with a few extra blinks, then looked away, looking peeved. Probably at that he let you see him like that. He held his hand near his beak, in a thinking pose.

"Interesting..." He stated, more flat and deadpan than anything else. "The _hylian_ , asked _me_ , to make something in the snow with them..." He mused, entirely talking to himself now. A few seconds later, he looked around the area, including the skies, like he was trying to find something.

_Did he dare?_ He certainly wouldn't stand to be caught _doing it_. He knew he had better things to do, a patrol to finish, he would never usually even consider it. _Him_. Playing around like he had nothing better to do. Like he didn't have vast responsibilities to always be taking care of.

...It was only because the Calamity was defeated now. Maybe he was starting to slack off now that it was taken care of. There were certainly less monsters around, but that didn't mean he could become complacent. What had gotten into him?

...

He wanted a break. It hurt to admit to himself, but he had been making sure he was giving everything he had for so long. He _had_ much to give, and there was a Calamity to take down. Of course he was going to do it, and do it flawlessly.

...But he could hardly remember the last time someone asked him to do something so _simple-minded_ _and benign_. He wasn't so sure why he even came down to them in the first place, and he didn't want to admit it might have been because he admired their ignorant freedom. They were showing it off so _brazenly_. They looked outright-... No, he couldn't even insult it. They just looked purely _happy_.

To do something so _simple_. A _child's game_.

...Why did he feel envy?

He should leave.

For some reason, he didn't.

He ended up glaring up into the sky. You looked up there, to see what he was looking at, but it appeared he was just thinking intensely. Staring at nothing but blue.

His head snapped back down, intense stare on you now.

"You think you can make better snow sculptures than _me?_ " He threw the words at you very hard.

What

"The technique of the Rito will surely put yours to _shame_." He was going in very hard.

What

"I'll show you what _true_ _skill_ looks like." He meant it. Very hard.

He started collecting snow.

What.

...

What? What was happening right now? You almost wanted to try to calm him down, because his _HARDCORE COMPETITIVE SPIRIT_ was showing in all caps right now, and it was, truthfully, a bit intimidating. ...But it was also fascinating. You couldn't stop watching him try to build something with snow, when he did it with such _vigor_. But careful vigor, precise vigor. He looked at the snow like it was a horde of enemies, and he was focused on pulling off the perfect move.

You could practically hear, 'Watch and learn!' You'd heard it enough to have it stuck in your head firmly. Instead, you heard, "I know I'm impressive, but it's rude to stare. Plus," he tacked on, far more chipper in tone, "you're wasting time." He spared you the briefest glance as he said it, not becoming distracted from his work. ...Fun? You couldn't tell for sure-...He was right, you were wasting time, _what were you doing_ -

You went back to your own snow, filled with nervous excitement now, hands trembling, because you were _giddy_. At the _unbelievable_ thing that was happening. ...You had just planned on making one of those snowmen with some round snowballs of varying sizes. You hadn't even collected anything for the face yet. That would surely be unimpressive. ...But who cared? The unbelievable was already happening, and you just wanted to make a traditional snowman. Because you wanted to see what it was like to do it. So you would just do what you were already doing.

...But now you were nervous. Whatever. Guess shaky-handed, not quite as perfect was fine. You could still make the snow balls okay. It got easier as you went. After you started your second one, now sitting in a new patch of 'material' for it, you glanced back at Revali- _He shoveled a giant mound of snow near his creation with his wings._ You watched in awe. Once it was where he wanted it, you caught eyes, and, wings still on the snow, he smiled a smug thing at you.

"What?" He patted his big pile with both wings in sync. "Can't believe it? I noticed you seem to be having some _supply_ issues over there."

Well, slap you over the head with his 'dulcet tones,' because he already just did. Your mouth floundered, trying to say something in return, but you just ended up going back to building. So what if you were awkwardly scooping up stuff from all around you to add to your ball? That was how you wanted to do it. ...You eyed his snow pile, when he wasn't looking. ...It _would_ be nice... No, your method was...fine. Perfectly...fine.

You finished the second ball, a nice, smaller size than the first. Glanced back at his thing. ...It had much more shape to it than yours. It almost looked like the start of the bottom of- oh. He was making a ritoman. That made sense. ...His looked far more complex than yours, but that was what you expected. You would represent the 'simple' side of the snowman spectrum.

The third ball was easiest. You carefully plopped it on top, made sure it set in place. Stepping back to see your creation, you were actually proud of it. You liked it a lot. It wasn't perfect, but you thought it was a good first try. Now you just needed the extra embellishments. You looked back to see Revali still focused on his own thing. He seemed half done, the lower part of a rito-ish looking structure finished. He now worked on the torso. The wings seemed to be giving him trouble, because they were so large and long, but he certainly wasn't giving up.

Looking at what he'd managed to achieve so far, you admired not only his craftsmanship, but also the quality of the snow for building. It really was the right kind, and you were glad. It allowed something like this to happen. You strayed off a bit, to look for arms and a face for your creation.

"Forgetting your weapons _again?_ Not only that, _abandoning_ a competition. Shameful." He chided, sounding serious, but in a way where it was like he was poking fun at you more than anything else. It didn't sound harsh.

Which you were grateful for. He just sounded like his standard self.

"...I'm going to get supplies. It needs arms, and a face," you informed.

"Perhaps you should consider _another_ kind of supplies _first_."

He stopped his building just to give you a pointed look. Then pointedly looked at your weapons. ...Back to you.

...You got the message. ...He was right.

"You..." You sighed. "You're right..." You trudged over to your stuff like a child who had admitted to wrongdoing and felt bad.

He looked satisfied. "Good," he responded, tone chipper, because he was right. He went back to building.

You went back to looking for stuff (with Stuff in tow now). You found thin sticks for the arms, but you weren't sure about the face. You had planned on using rocks, but you were just now realizing all the rocks were buried under snow. So what did that leave? You looked around. ...More sticks? You looked around more. ...PINE NEEDLES. Would that work? Whatever, you got some anyway (and more sticks).

You returned to see he was at the beak part of his ritoman's head. He spared you a glance as you entered back onto the scene. Looking at his thing, now almost finished, it was...not bad. Much more impressive than you could hope to make. But even his wasn't perfect, and you thought that was charming. You gave him and his snow bird-person a small, genuine smile.

He didn't see it, thank goodness. You got back to building. Arms, carefully inserted. Face...was harder. You managed to get the pine needles into almost circles for the eyes, and they didn't want to stay at first, but you worked it out. You broke off small stick parts to make a smile, pressing them in place. Stepping back...it was done. It actually looked good (in your eyes). You were happy.

So happy to have made your first snowman, you took a screenshot of it. You felt good inside, for once in a while. You turned to check on Revali. He was making final touches. You thought it looked good. You wanted to say something nice, share in the happy feeling. Normally, you weren't a talk-first-er, but for this, it felt right. Something about being in here, and with him, made it feel like you could just speak freely, normally. Like it was some kind of happy dream. ...It felt like one.

"You did really good. I like it a lot." You praised.

There was a clear winner here, in your 'competition.' He looked at you, no particular reaction other than acknowledgement, then looked to your snow thing. He blinked at it.

"... _Oh_. Is that...you're _done?_ "

He was not impressed... Of course not, what else did you expect? It was slightly disappointing to hear, but not surprising.

"Yeah...truthfully, I'm a beginner at this. Actually...how did _you_ get so good?" Now that you thought about it, it _was_ a curious thing.

He looked at you, then back to his own creation, and decided finishing it off came before answering. With a final few feather brushes, it was done. He appraised it critically. ...Nodded. He found it satisfactory, it seemed.

"Truthfully..." He was finally answering. "I'm just talented."

He held a hand to his chest as he said it, as if to emphasize his personage. ...You felt like that wasn't the entire story, but you let him have his moment.

"Well, it shows. I think it looks great. I should try to figure out how to do that sometime."

Now that the idea was in your head...you wanted to try it. He smiled proudly, and you could practically see him internally preening.

"I'm glad I could inspire you to new heights," said in a 'of course I'm amazing and inspire people' way. "Now that we've decided a clear winner, I have work to get back to." He started walking to a clear spot to take off from.

Oh... You were disappointed. He was leaving. ...But that was okay. You were just glad you got to spend time with him. You had fun. ...That was a rare thought...

"Could we-" Once again, you were chasing something rare, without thought. ...You wanted to have fun again. "Could we do this again?" You were a wreck of nerves to ask, but he was leaving, and...what was your other chance?

He was a fourth way into his take off pose when he was paused by your question. He actually stood back up to face you properly. Tucked his wings behind him, looking practically scholarly.

"... _Again?_ " He had a slight tilt of his head and eyebrow. "...Are you trying to steal my techniques?"

You weren't sure if he was serious, and you weren't sure how to respond.

"Uuh..." You felt put on the spot. Let real thoughts tumble out. "Honestly, I just... I thought it was fun to build snow stuff with you..." It was awkward to admit, and you fidgeted around where you were standing, looked off to the side. Your peripheral registered change on his face, and your eyes were drawn back to him. He had a generic smile, that was handsome- cute- it- IT WAS FINE. HE LOOKED FINE. WHY WAS HE SMILING-

"I'm afraid I'm quite busy." _S_ _till smiling-_ _walked to the side, looking away from you-_ "But... Perhaps I'll see you again." _Looked back at you with just his eye-_ "...Sometime."

_In flight_.

You watched him go, stare blank, dumbstruck.

...

_You were going to build snow stuff out here religiously._ No, no, you were fine. It was fine. This was fine. You just had a nice time, what a nice experience you just had, totally normal. ...You were fine.

...It was fine.

...Right?

(It wasn't fine???)

(...You wanted it to be...)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fyi, Revali was totally going to tell Reader not to forget their stuff again before he flew away, but Reader didn't give him the chance XD He got to do it anyway though :P


	7. Copy

As you rode back, you were conflicted over everything that happened. Over whether this was fine, or not fine. Over whether you had a problem, or...well, you thought you had a problem. That was less questioned. You were still _here_ , weren't you? ...You didn't _want_ that to be a problem.

The sun was already half set by the time you got back, and you bid Steed a goodnight. Climbing the steps, you once again watched the horizon. It was just so...pretty. Especially with a sunset. You were lulled into something that felt like an actual end to a day. Preparing for sleep. You yawned, and found it odd. How all this worked...you didn't know the details. You just read the bare basics.

So you went to your inn bed, and cozied up to sleep, just to see what would happen, how it would go.

...

You woke the next morning feeling comfy in your bed, and like you were refreshed. ... _B_ _izarre_. Now you had to figure out what you were going to do today. You simultaneously wanted to practice snow and bow. Snow, because Revali. And snow. And it was fun. Bow, because kind of Revali, but you actually just liked trying to do it. You didn't hate it, it was fun _enough_ to practice, and maybe one day you could manage to _hit_ a target. ...Maybe. ...One day.

Which wouldn't happen if you didn't practice. But _snow..._ Fine. You would do both. So you spent the morning trying to get arrows to go, in any direction, at all. You should probably have another session with Wylee tomorrow...they could tell you what you were doing wrong. Having gotten the practice in, you still had plenty of day left to _snow_.

You went back to the same spot. The stuff you both built was _still_ there, which was kind of amazing to you. You inspected his work of snow art, trying to pick up some methods and general knowledge about snow structuring. You thought trying to copy his, even a little bit, was a good start. You took a few screenshots, so you could reference even after it melted.

That's what you did, the next several days. Snow, bow training, a couple Wylee sessions. They were nice, not overly so, and casual. You liked them. You dallied here and there as well, just looking around and exploring sometimes. You hadn't seen beak nor feather of Revali. You had to log out after so long inside.

You spent almost a full week before going back in. You had to recuperate your brain, it was like you felt _off_ out in the real world after being inside so long. And it kind of exhausted you. You really had to be more careful. ...Yet all you wanted to do was go back in. ...Now you knew you _really_ had a problem. But you also really didn't have any other way of escaping the horrors of reality. You needed _something_ to hold on to.

So you tried _not_ to think about how maybe messed up you were getting from this, as you went back in. Perhaps a shorter stay this time would help. You overdid it last time. Today was a _snow_ day. Because...you needed a snow day after- you weren't thinking about that. You were _snow-daying_. Here was where you _didn't_ have to deal with that garbage. Here was safe.

You went back to the usual spot. The snowpeople were deteriorating, and you'd had to expand outward after already using so much snow there. You were working on trying to make a smaller, simpler version of a ritoperson. They were to be standing under this particular tree, because you wanted to make use of the environment as a background.

"Would you believe," you nearly jolted out of your skin, "that I've defeated _every, single_ monster in this region?" He shook his head with closed eyes, uncrossed his arms to make a mild shoulderless shrug gesture. He almost seemed... _disappointed?_ by such a thing? "There really are hardly any left, it seems. ...I wonder how long this peace will last..."

He stared out at nothing, not exactly hopeful. It seemed more like he was waiting for everything to come crashing back down. The furrowed slant of his eyebrows wasn't exactly happy. You wanted to reassure him, so off went your mouth without your permission.

"Well, the Calamity _was_ defeated, right? So maybe it's normal there will be less monsters from now on. It did get really bad there for a while, before."

He looked toward you, expression back to a more neutral, critical gaze.

"Yes, speaking _of_... How exactly did you manage during that? Were you weaponless _then_ too? I don't suppose you were walking out in the open, as careless as you are _now_."

...He was _never_ going to let that go, was he? ...How did you even answer this? Making up a vague thing was about all you could do.

"Well, I...I was just _careful_. Hide well, run well. Despite what you seem to think, how we met wasn't exactly _normal_ for me."

There. That should be fine enough. Right?

He stared at you with one eye, head somewhat turned to the side, hand on a hip. "How exactly _did_ that happen, then?" He asked with his critically-smart-thinking brain.

OH NO. YOU WERE DIGGING YOURSELF A PIT OF LIES. This couldn't possibly end well. How could you say this in a way that wasn't completely untrue?

"...I...sort of...fell into it?" You could make that literal, yes, that could work. "Listen, sometimes you think ground is more solid than it is, and you end up rolling a ways." Yes, yes, yes, perfect.

Up went an eyebrow.

" _Careful_ , hm?" It wasn't _particularly_ playfully said, but it wasn't chastising either. You were trying to read his intent.

You might as well go all in at this point.

"Look, I was grateful the Calamity was defeated, I might have slacked off a bit," you pretended to be embarrassed and angry at yourself over it, crossing your arms defensively. ...It didn't feel good to lie, though. You hated lying, you almost wanted to tell him it was all untrue.

"...So now you're trying to 'better yourself'...is that it?"

Well, basically, spot on, yes.

"...Yes?" You didn't know why you made it a question. You were just generally unsure at the moment.

He looked around at all your...'handiwork.' Lots of used snow and attempted figures.

"I see you've been busy," he observed. Walked over to another partial ritoperson, wings clasped together behind his back, looking a proper judge. He bent over to look at it closer, leaning to observe the sides. "Now, you wouldn't _actually_ be trying to steal my work, would you?" He turned to you while still partially bent over the snow figure, moved a wing to his front to bend a hand toward his chest, fingertips barely brushing it.

The high pitch he used on the final words somehow made the question sound both pointed _and_ coy. Amazing. Wait, you're not doing that though, stealing.

"...I thought it was really cool so I wanted to do it myself," you mumbled quietly, because it was a little embarrassing to admit you wanted to copy him.

"What's that?" He turned fully, still bent over some so he could lean toward you while cocking his ear your way, message clearly 'speak up.'

...You almost could have _sworn_ he was just messing with you at this point. There was something about the spark in his eyes as he watched you for a clearer answer that said so. ...You didn't know how to respond. ...Fine, you would just have to say the slightly embarrassing thing more clearly.

"I...I thought what you did was really cool, so I wanted to do it myself. I'm not stealing, I just really liked your thing, so I wanted to make one too. Because it's cool. There. Happy?" Stroked his ego enough? Saying you were practicing by trying to copy someone's work because it was just _that good_ and inspiring, was about the highest compliment you could give someone. It wasn't like you were trying to sell it as your own, or claim it as your own at all. You just wanted to try to do it yourself.

And far be it from you to avoid complimenting him, but it felt like stroking his ego when persuaded into it. He smiled a smile as if that was the expected answer and he was satisfied with it. Stood back to full height with wings behind his back, all casual, except _the SMUG, CHEEKY, CHEEKY, CHEEKY,_ that radiated off of him. And his frickin' beautiful smile, pop off king- you're fine, calm down, everything's normal.

He walked to the side a couple steps, and eyes closed, hand back on his chest, "It's good I was able to inspire, then," he sang the beautiful birdsong of his own boasting. Now, he _tried_ to sound and act humble and such, at least somewhat, but. ...Just but. So, you were copying him. And he was here. So you considered asking him to build something again.

But he was so _smug_ about it, that-...that gave you an _idea_... What if... You decided to go for it, as he smiled at the distance in a grand picture of gorgeous pride. Because you had to talk to him, do _something_ with him, if you wanted to be his friend. ...Which you did, you found.

"So...if I'm copying _you_...what about if _you_ tried to copy _me?_ You think you can make a snowman out of balls as good as I can?"

You admit it, you threw a bit of a challenge in there, because you wanted to encourage him to actually stay and do it. You worried if it was the right approach.

His head snapped back toward you, previous demeanor completely gone. He stared in a sort of baffled way. ...He blinked.

"You...are daring me to make a stack of snowballs..." Uh oh, he sounded completely uninterested, the wind left your sails in a painfully deflating manner.

"Well, you have to make the face, and ya gotta find the arms, and..." You tried to salvage anything, but your confidence was already gone and you trailed off in defeat, thinking you must sound stupid. You stared at the ground, fidgeting with your hands. It was awkwardly quiet. ...

"...I can make _three_ of your snowmen by the time you make one of mine," he boasted.

Wha-djha-?! Your head snapped up. It was your turn to stare in bafflement.

"Now, like any decent craftsman, I'm going to gather material. I _do_ hope to see you've made progress by the time I'm back. Which won't be long." He bantered at you, before flying off into the woods.

W-wait... You had to make a whole ritoman like he did? ... _But you weren't at that level yet!_ You frantically tried to find a good spot, and started gathering snow in a panic. You thought he could make _five_ ball snowmen by the time you managed to get anything even _remotely_ like what he made.

...You were going to make the worst looking ritosnowman ever made. But here you go regardless, because it was actually a way for you to literally play in the snow with him.

And that was fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHOLESOME.
> 
> So, I have 2 fics going at once right now, so updates will naturally be a little slower between them as a result. I also just have life stuff to deal with. So, updates could be delayed by as much as several months, just a fair warning. I would like to update fast and regularly, but...life, man. So, don't worry if there's not an update for a while at some points, it doesn't mean I've abandoned the fic, it just means, life, man. 
> 
> I hope ya'll have a good day/night, thanks for reading ^_^


	8. Speed Competition

You tried to dual wield the ability to make snow stuff fast, and make snow stuff _well_. It...was hard. You just tried to make it okay looking as you could, and move on without getting hung up on perfecting it, because, that wasn't exactly going to happen anyway. You were shaping some tail feathers when Revali got back. He really was speedy.

He gently dumped his gathered stuff in a pile, and went right to work shoveling snow to use with his magnificently glorious big ol' bird wings. He focused studiously on making balls quickly. He spared you a couple glances, challenge in his eyes, but that was about it. You tried to focus on your own work, but it was hard, because you wanted to watch him work his magic.

You had to play the game yourself, you were a participant here, so you tried your best. You didn't think he was going to be that enthused about anything you could come up with, but you were going to _try_ , darn it. It was all an excuse to hang out with him after all, so you were going to do what you could. You focused in for that.

It felt like finally when you started on the last part, the head. You dared a peek at his- He was literally placing the last ball on the third snowman. ...Well.

He was right.

But he hadn't decorated them yet! Maybe you had a shot! Frazzled by the nerves of actually having a chance against him in anything, you were a bit clumsier in your approach, but you didn't give up. That would mean automatic loss. You didn't look his way, there was no time, you had to focus. You locked in as best you could, and finished off the ritoman.

"Done!" You declared the second it was true.

You turned to face him with anticipation- His hand came off the last stick arm he just placed in. They all looked done. Pristine. And- rocks for faces? Where'd he get those? But moreover-

"Did you-... _just_ finish?" There was no way. He was going easy on you.

"Actually, I was touching things up while I waited for you. Surely, you would agree, that my simple trio is in prime condition."

It was a far closer race than he ever anticipated, and he certainly was never going to tell them that. All their practice appeared to be paying off...believe it or not. Interesting.

Of course. That made far more sense.

"Oh. Yeah. Of course..." You could say you tried, though it was a bit disappointing, since you had an irrational hope you had a shot against him. Oh well. You did it, regardless. And... "Those do look really good. Actually, where'd you get the rocks?"

He cocked his head and eyebrow.

"...Do you mean to tell me, you weren't using them before, because you couldn't _find them?_ I thought you were trying to be artistic..." He looked to the side and shook his head a bit, eyes closed. He looked back. "Where does one _normally_ find rocks?" The lean forward, the eye narrow, the gesture...all very Revali. But uh...

"On...the ground?" Which was currently buried. Snow.

" _Precisely_ ," it was like he was trying to explain something to a child, and they were finally getting it. "You didn't bother to _look?_ "

"...S-snow..." Was the only lame response you could get out, feeling small at wherever this was going.

Eyebrows rose, almost incredulous. His head tilted back just a bit. There was a blink. Then his face settled on something quite carefully neutral.

"...Let me guess...you were raised somewhere without snow, so it never occurred to you to simply _look underneath it_."

You heard your brain deflate like a popped balloon, out of sheer embarrassment.

You felt.

Like a moron.

You were moving snow around all this time, and you never thought to just _do that same thing more_ to look for stuff??? ...You wanted to sink into the earth, disappear. It was physically painful how embarrassed you felt in front of him right now. And it had to be _him_ , too. Rest in pieces, you.

"Well, now. No need to fall to pieces over it. Just don't do it again. Although, I suppose you _did_ work with what you had..." He thoughtfully put a finger to his beak, strolling forward. "Speaking of..." Wait, what was happening- He leaned over all around your ritoman, making a show of it, his eyes critical. "...I suppose I can tell it's supposed to be a Rito... Perhaps one of these days," his eyes flashed over to focus on you, "your practice will pay off." He...praised?? Then strolled back on over to his own snow creations.

You were flabbergasted over-

"You know, as _simple_ as these are..." He started. "...I suppose they're not bad..." Thoughtful and almost _fond_ \- "For a speed competition." ...Of course.

You blinked a bunch, trying to come back online after just watching him go, brain overwhelmed by everything.

"U-" Your vocals tried to start up, to agree with snowmen being a good thing. To try to go back to normal and forget your snow faux pas, take advantage of the fact that he didn't really seem to care. Which was good. "Y-yeah. Snowmen, are, good." Frick, you almost facepalmed right then and there.

He turned his head to look at you, though his body stayed more toward his snowmen.

"You certainly seem to think so. ...Tell me, why _did_ you come to Hebra?"

He finally asked... _the_ question. And it was a bit loaded. Oh, boy. What did you say here? ...You thought you could actually be honest with this one.

"I...just wanted somewhere different. And I heard it was cool," you didn't _intend_ the pun, but there it was, you supposed.

You stood on opposite sides of the little area, staring at each other, the wind the only sound for several seconds. It felt like a snapshot of an intense moment, as he seemed to be trying to read you.

"I see." He said.

...Wha- ? ...Okay?? You couldn't get a read on _him_ , that was for sure.

"Why are _you_ here?" You parroted the question back without much thought, just trying to keep the conversation going. But then you realized that was stupid, he was _born_ here, of course-

"I'm the hero of the Rito." He stated quite factually, his tone more bold than it was before. "Perhaps you've heard?" Threw a bit of dry sarcasm in there. He certainly had the head tilt and the sharp stare for it.

"Uh-" You could salvage this. "Yeah, I guess I more meant, like, _why_ do you do what you do? What's your drive, ya know?" That kind of thing, yeah.

That was actually a big question, one you _wanted_ to ask, but maybe it wasn't a good idea so soon after you met the guy. You just blurted out your brain around him for some reason, and you didn't necessarily feel good about that, with everything you could possibly mess up.

He looked at you, and you waited for an answer.

"I'm a hero. That's all there is to it."

Simple. Almost like a stock answer. With a fluid motion right after his words ended, he turned fully away from you while drawing his bow. No arrow, just a pose with string drawn for show. It was a brief demonstration, his bow put away promptly. He looked back over his shoulder, one eye trained on you.

"You see? Sometimes, you have something, and it's a waste not to use it."

He was deathly serious. There was no pride, or boasting. It was just something he truly believed.

But...

"Is that really all there is to it? I can't imagine you didn't have to work your butt off to get to where you are now."

Once again.

There went your mouth.

It was like it had a direct connection with your heart around him, so it just did what it pleased, what felt right.

These were the consequences, of having him as a favorite character, you guessed.

He continued to stare at you, serious. Then his head turned back around, and you couldn't see his face. But you saw the raise of his arms in that half shrug he tended to do, and heard, "Well. No one is perfect without practice." He stated.

There it was. The closest you guessed you were getting to him admitting that he worked himself to the core to get to where he was. ...You admired that about him. ...A lot...

"Well, for what it's worth, I really admire how far you've come."

Out it came. Simple... And honest... And gentle.

He looked back again. Expression normal. Just a look.

Facing forward, he said, "Of course. That's only natural, with _my_ achievements." It felt almost like he was just giving a standard, stock response. You wondered how often he had to say such things, with how much praise must get lobbed his way. And now you'd added on to that pile. But it was all true, though.

"I do beg your pardon, but I've wasted quite enough time here. You should head back before it gets dark." He turned his head toward you, but he didn't look at you, which was a little odd. And there was some kind of bite in his tone that wasn't there before.

It confused you. It made you wonder what you did wrong, if anything at all, or if he was just...that way. He took off and was very thoroughly _gone_ before you could contemplate much, or respond, or ask.

He flew as fast as he could go, channeling whatever he was feeling into something he could use to practice. He slammed down on the training ground's platform harder than necessary. Thankfully, no one was around at this time to see, or to bother him. He needed to think. He paced one lap around the place before jumping onto the air to practice his bomb arrow aim. He might as well be doing something productive.

So they turned out to just be like any other admirer. Disappointing. He wasn't sure why. Maybe he just wanted something different as a change of pace, and he didn't get it. ...It wasn't like him to be upset over something so petty. Not like _this_.

No, he wasn't upset at that. Maybe it was the way they said it. The way they looked at him.

...Just like any run of the mill, starry eyed wonder that people got when they saw him. They didn't act like that before. Not in the 'see-through you to your fame' way. Awestruck at times, but the other way. The way where they saw him and thought he was impressive, because he was. ...He didn't like the 'see-through' way. It was irksome. Showed the true shallow nature of people.

Not something he wanted to deal with.

...

He landed on the rocks jutting out of the water.

...

He didn't want to admit it. The other way was easier. He could just ignore them then.

...

He frowned at the water.

...

See-through.

The exact _opposite_ of what he felt from them then. It was easier to tell himself it was the other way around. But...

He stared at the ripples in the water. Swayed his bow in his hand.

...The reason he thought that, was because them _not_ doing that was far scarier.

And they didn't do it.

...They did something else entirely.

He swayed his bow faster.

They _saw_ him. They said something in a way, and looked at him in a way, that he wasn't used to. There was _something_ in the way they _meant_ it. Like they actually _saw_ how hard he worked. And actually appreciated it.

But that didn't make sense. And against his better judgement, he found it a bit spooky. Then again, maybe he _should_ be spooked by that.

...Then again, it was all he ever wanted. He wanted to be _seen_. To be recognized for everything he'd achieved. And he was. ...It was something _different_ somehow, when they said it. Like they _meant it_ , in a way he hadn't encountered before. He just...didn't know how to deal with it.

How to deal with being...just seen.

Just seen in a way that was everything he wanted. In a way that acknowledged everything he was, everything he did.

...

But he just met them. It was odd. Something didn't add up.

...Maybe it was time to pay a visit to the princess, see the rebuilding efforts himself. Surely, everyone would appreciate him making sure no straggler monsters bothered them as they worked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, I came up with the title randomly, more of a reference to how Reader wanted to just see him and dip, but... Then everything happened to fit together perfectly somehow, and just went there naturally, and opportunity knocked, and now the title has a whole new meaning I guess. I do enjoy a good title drop. XD
> 
> By the by, I have a ko-fi, for anyone who likes to donate to authors. Not necessary at all (though greatly appreciated if you do), just ignore it if it's not your thing. It just helps me get by, but most of us are probably just trying to get by right now, so please take care of yourselves first before donating to anyone. I tend to just slap the link every other or few chapters or so, so it's there for people who want it, and can just be ignored otherwise.
> 
> Thank you all so much for the support on the fic, it means a lot. Okay, hope you all have an okay at least day, bye ^_^
> 
> https://ko-fi.com/dreamfactory


	9. Split Paths

It had been several days since you'd seen Revali. In that time, because of how he left, you wondered if you did something wrong. Or upset him somehow. Or what if you were reading into it too much, and it was actually nothing.

Around two in-game weeks passed. You'd had to disconnect a time or two it had been so long. You went about your business as usual, just enjoying the world. But...after so long... You realized you were starting to _miss_ Revali. It had been fun with him. You weren't close friends or anything, not even friends, really, but... You wanted to be. You missed the snow games, despite how few they'd been.

It got to a point, that one day, you asked Wylee. During training (you could kind of shoot a bow reliably now, yay), you got up the courage to ask. You were familiar enough with them now to feel you might have the option.

"I haven't seen Revali around recently... I usually see him here and there. Is he off somewhere?" You tried to sound as casual and 'just making conversation' as possible, but you didn't know if you even had any right to ask, so you were nervous inside. Plus, you were aware you might come off as a fan-person.

Wylee raised an eyebrow. Looked at you in a way that suggested they might be connecting dots in their head. You waited, tried to look normal. They shrugged, closed their eyes a moment.

"He's off helping the castle town repairs." Apparently they decided there was no harm in telling you. "Said, 'Repairs will progress faster if I'm there.'" They did a good Revali impression. "He might not be wrong, but he sure loves to tell you about it," they had a fond little laugh. Then looked around suspiciously, leaned in with a hand raised near their mouth as if to keep a secret quiet. "I think he just wants to see his Champion friends again, if you ask me. ...Don't tell him I said that."

So that's what was going on. You felt like you were 'in the loop' now, with how familiar Wylee was speaking to you. And you got the overall impression they knew him well, with how they talked about him. They seemed to emphasize the humanity in him just as much as they spoke of his ego and such.

"Oh..." You generically acknowledged what they'd told you. Really thought about it. "...It seems like he can't sit still if there's something for him to do..." You concluded out loud, half to yourself, half to see if Wylee had anything to confirm or deny about it.

"Hah! If he wasn't working on something, it wouldn't be Revali," they added, chipper. Then leaned toward you again, curiosity all about their face. "Say... You sure act like you know him..."

_Frick_. Wylee was on to you. You weren't even sure if _R_ _evali_ was okay with you saying you'd talked to him so much. So you covered awkwardly.

"O-oh, you know, just things I've heard...around..." You tried not to sweat, you were really bad at this.

They observed you calmly, in a casually leaned back stance.

"...He's the reason you took up a bow, isn't he?" They were serious and confident in their guess, something gentle and understanding in their tone.

_Pfff-_ You would have done a spit take if you'd been drinking. They said it so surely. ...It made you wonder if it was subconsciously true. You weren't even sure.

"I-" You didn't know what to say.

They smiled, in a way that said they knew more than _you_ did.

"Don't worry about it," they went right back into casual and light, gesturing with their arms that it was no big deal. "All that matters is that you keep practicing. Speaking of..." They set their sights on a tree further off than they normally would have considered for your training. "Why not try that one?" They pointed to it.

"Wuh-" You were flustered, there was no way you could-

"No harm in trying, right? Just imagine you're _the_ _Champion Revali_ ~" They said it with flare and gave you quite the cheeky smile.

...They were so enthusiastic, you didn't want to say no. You held up the bow, ready to get your miss over with quickly. ...But there was no harm in actual practice... You breathed, focusing everything in, putting your all and all your attention into it. You felt everything else blur away. You wanted to hit the target.

_zeew_

It missed by mere inches. You were gobsmacked. Your jaw slacked as you stared in unbelieving amazement. You _never_ thought you would have gotten _that_ close to something so far away in a million years.

You felt a couple hardy pats on your back, bringing you back down to earth.

"That's the ticket! You almost had it! I'm impressed, you've come a long ways over the weeks..." Their praise drifted into your ears, and despite telling yourself they were just being a standard, encouraging teacher, you're face warmed. Dang it, you were smiling. ...It felt good.

The day after your encouraging session with Wylee, you really thought about what you wanted to do. Revali was off being productive, as he does. You were making progress yourself. A stupid, silly imagination entered your head. Of showing Revali how far you'd come. You were so proud. ...That you could _almost_ hit a moderately difficult target. How silly indeed, that would have been. To brag to _Revali_ about how you couldn't even hit something. ...Ridiculous. ...Asinine.

...But it amused you anyway. Still, there remained the fact that he was gone a while. He was out there doing things. ...Maybe you should go out there and do things, too... Would you? Dare you? ...

That day, you told Wylee you would be gone from training a while. You were traveling to Faron. You were going to take a page from Revali, and put yourself out there. They were a little surprised at your sudden departure, but wished you luck (and told you to keep practicing. As they do. ...You felt strangely fond of them in that moment, and felt like you might actually miss them).

You were riding Steed away from the village, knowing you at least wanted to bother going _that_ far properly. It was whether you wanted to just teleport the rest of the way that you weren't sure of. You watched a couple Rito fly overhead, back the way you came. ...It was nice. Just watching things go by, without a care in the world. ...And it was pretty. ...Really, the only reason you were going to Faron to begin with was to see the cool trees and such.

...So why not go the whole way and see it all?

He landed on the edge of the platform, as night fell. ...Back home. He looked around. Everything was as it had been. Tomorrow, he could start asking around about those Terrako parts the princess wanted to find. Everything was running smoothly at the castle town, and he now knew his fellow Champions were doing just the same as him. Making sure repairs all over the land were well taken care of.

He may have spent more time than some of the rest of them around the castle, rather than stay around his home region, as they opted to do, but... He just wanted to be sure about how everything was going. And he'd already made sure his home was safe while he was gone.

...

...And the princess needed help with Terrako. After everything that happened... He watched the first stars come out. He was used to the fact that he cared about the princess's well-being at this point. He didn't spend time around her like Urbosa did, and that was just fine by him. He knew Urbosa fit a need he wouldn't even be comfortable with trying.

...And _someone_ had to make sure that knight of hers wasn't slacking off just because he somehow managed to fulfill his role. Tch.

The next day came, and he thought he would start by training with the students, as a welcome home. They didn't even know he was back yet, and he was going to surprise them with a grand entrance. They would be so happy. And then there would be _Wylee_. He couldn't wait to see the look on _their_ face.

Hiding from a Rito in flight wasn't an easy thing to do, but he knew all the spots. He figured them out early on as part of his training. It wouldn't do not to know where your enemies could hide. He got into place at one of his usual locations whenever he did this.

_Klick-klick_

He heard the telltale sound of talon on wood, and knew Wylee had arrived right on time as they always did. He also knew they were likely to check the targets, which would have given away his position where he braced on the underside of the platform. So.

Now was the time. He dove down at an angle to get beyond the edge, using the speed to burst right up above it in a gust of his own wind. He landed with the grace of one only such as himself, and smiled right at Wylee as they gaped at him. Only a moment. They were used to him after all, but that moment was all he wanted.

Their beak clicked shut, and they gave him a stare that was very unamused. Really, it was all _their_ version of show, as a response to his.

"Well. I see you're done saving Hyrule again." They snipped at him. Followed by a large grin that broke the facade he knew it was. "It's good to have you back!" They came over to slap down a pat on his shoulder, grinning in a way that could only mean they meant it. "Well, is Hyrule Castle as good as new now that you're done with it?"

He avoided the urge to say it was _better_.

"The east wing has seen improvements. Really, I don't know how they get _anything_ done without flight."

Wylee rolled their eyes at him.

"They probably use a lot of rope. Anyway, now that you're back, you going to start hijacking my sessions again? Cypres has been working extra hard to catch up to you."

"They have?" The thought pleased him. The more skilled warriors they had, the better.

"They might catch up to you one day, you know." Surely, they were joking. Not that he _hated_ the idea... "As for _now_ _..._ " They walked over to pick up their bow...and turned to him with a _fierce_ look. He knew _that_ look. It made him excited for what was to come. When was the last time they both did this? " _They're not the only one who's been training._ "

They were ready.

_He_ was ready.

He gave them his best smile. Tall, proud, and he _knew_ how good he looked.

"Is that so? Well then." He gestured out toward the training grounds with a grand sweep of his wing. "Why don't you _show me?_ "

They did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops, the more I write Revali and Wylee, the more I ship them, oops. Oops oops oops. And the more I write Wylee, the more I like them. Frick, the more I write Revali, the more I like him XD He 'Tch's at Link in his own thoughts, I love him.
> 
> Bit of time apart for the main duo. I considered making the chapter long enough that they got back together in it at some point, but I'd rather just make sure I get an update out.


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